Mop wringer



Sept. 7, 1943.

F. M. FRITSCH ET AL 2,328,797

MOP WRINGER Filed Sept. 9, 1941 INVENTORS Patented Sept. 7, 1943 r ilton, Ohio, assignors to The Eagle Woodenware Manufacturing Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a

' corporation of gohio Applicationseptember 9,'1941,;SerialNo. 410,193

I 1 Claim. This invention relates to improvements in a mop'wringer. i P 1 An object of the invention is to provide in ,a mop'wringer'structure, improved and simplified I means for protecting the wringer mechanism against'entanglement 'with mop strands during the wringing operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism of the character stated, which is so constructed as to reduce friction between j the parts to aminimum, with the result thatlitfle effort is required in performing the wringing operation.

Another object is that of constructing awringer mechanism .for application to a pail or'other container, in'such manner as to gainelfevation "of the wringer mechanism relativeto the pail or container bottom, therebyto render. available a maximum amount of space and a high level of liquid within the pail or container.

Further objects of the invention are to strengthen :the pail or container through the medium of'ithe wringer mechanism; to simplify the manufacture of parts and'the assembly ofthe *wringer'mechanism; and to impart a high degree of durability and efiiciency'tothe wringer mechanism.

The foregoing and otherj objects are attained by the'means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which; i

Fig, 1 is;a perspective view of "the improved =mop wringing apparatus of theinventio'n.

Fig.2 is'asmall scale plan view looking down onFig. 1, thecontainer being shown in broken lines.

Fig. 3 is arperspe'ctive :view of a modification. With referenceto the accompanying drawing, the character 4 indicates a mop "bucket or other container, whichmaybe'of wood metal orv other suitable construction.

'The container has an open top through which a mop may-be introduced, as -is customary. When the'container is of wood construction suitable hoops 5 maybe applied thereto for maintaining the constituent staves in position to render the container fluid tight; I bottom, with .a lug :or extension 6 upon'which the operator may stand with 'onefifoot, while actuating the wringing mech'anism with the other foot, this being customary; practice in the use of such apparatus. 5 l

At oppositesides of thegcontainer are fixedly mounted the brackets I carrying stud shafts 8 which provide pivotal mountings fora foot treadle'9 to be depressed by means of the oper- The container may be provided 'nearits ators foot, and rotated aboutthe pivots against the resistance of a suitable spring H1. The spring maybe so arranged'as to operate upon one of the" uprightzarms i2, tending always to rotate the arms of the treadle in counterclockwise direction, that is, in a direction such as. to retract the shiftable squeezing roller 13 away fromrtheucooperative squeezing rollers i4 and I5. The, squeezing rollers M and i5 collectively may be considered a cooperative squeezing element or assembly adapted to coact with the shiftable roller l3 in wringing water or other'fiuid mop introduced between them,

It may here be stated that the term cooperative squeezing element, 'in its' broadest sense,

may include any suitable iormoi stationary surface or;surfaces, or a single roller "such asM or its equivalent, as well as the pair of rotating rollersindicated at.:l4 and i5. Fig. 3 shows a modification of the invention'wherein the cooperative squeezing element corresponding to that of V Fig. 1,,is'in theiorm of a singlerollermounted ,for rotation, :but

fixed in its relationship to the container. i

In the preferred embodiment l of the invention, the upright arms l2l2 .are made integral with the treadle indicated "at 9, and at the upper ends of'said'a'rms areformed, preferably by bending,

metal-or other suitable material to impart a finished app arance thereto','and for the further ,purpose of preventing splitting of the rollers when they are constructed of wood. The rollers,

'sition, or. any other material suitable for the pur ,pose for which they are intended.

of c ourse,:may,be.made of metal, rubber, compo- 1 If desired, braces 20 may be welded, riveted or otherwise suitably secured in spanning relationship to the upright .arms andthe treadle mem- ,ber, tostrengthen the structure and to'insure it against distortion in use. 7

Particular attention is directed to the mop guard rails 2 |22, which'span' the open 'topof =the..container atioppositesidesof a diameter, and

from a teners 25. In the case of a container c'onstructed of metal, welding or soldering, or equivalent means might also be resorted to in efiecting the mounting. v

From the disclosure of Fig, 2, it will readily of the invention.

length, except at the turned ends indicated at I23 and I24 corresponding with the ends 23 and .24 of Fig. 2. This modification illustrates also the use of but a single roller I I4 as the cooperative squeezing element against which the shiftable roller applies its squeezing force. It should be understood that-the assembly of Fig. 3 may be bodily substituted for the corresponding assembly illustrated by Fig. 2, the shiftable roller mounts, arms, and treadle being the same in each form ,With further reference to Fig. 3, it will be I noted that the upstanding brackets I28 which be appreciated that the strands of a mop introduced into the space between the rollers I3 and I4, and between the mop guard rails 2| and 22 cannot possibly become entangled withthe axle ends of the rollers. Moreover, since the shiftable squeezing roller I3 has no operative connection with the mop guard rails 2I and 22, there. is preeluded all possibility of mop strands interfering with the free shifting of. roller. I3 toward and from the roller or cooperative squeezing element I4.. As previously stated, roller I3 moves toward the roller or cooperative squeezing element I4 along an arcuate path, which path is above and independent of the mop guard rails. The fact that the roller ends extend outwardly beyond the limits of the space defined by the mop guard rails. is a matter of. considerable importance to the present invention. I

' In that form of the invention illustrated by Figsl and 2, themop guard rails in the region of the fixed squeezing element I-4I5, are bent outwardly as at 26, and then rearwardly as at 27, to accommodate the length of the rollers or squeezing elements I i-I5, whose Working or pressing surfaces preferably are as extensive in length as that of the shiftable roller I3. The rearwardly directed offset portion 21 of each mop guard rail carries an upstanding perforated bracket 28, the perforations 29 and 30 of which provide bearings forthe shaft ends 3! and 32 of the rollers I4 and I5, respectively. The upstanding bracket may be riveted, bolted, welded, or otherwisejsuitably fixed to the offset extensions 21 of the mop guard rails, or the complete mop guard rails with upstanding bracket may be of one-'piececonstruction. The turned ends 2424 of the mop guard rails may be made integral with the ofiset portions 21, ifdesired.

The shafts of rollers HI and I preferably are rotatable within the bearings 29'and 39, although it is of course possible to employ the equivalent construction consisting of fixing the shaft ends rail-s, so that mop strands may not reach the axle ends of the rollers and becomeentangled or wound about the axles or other mountings during use of the device. V

The container 4 may be furnished with a suitable bail or handle 33, which may preferably b furnished with a hand grip 3d.

In that form of the inventionillustrated by Fig. I 3, the mop guard rails I2I and I22 are straight and equally spaced throughout their 'rotatably support the roller II4, are of angle construction, or of substantially Z-shape, with one leg I29 fixed as by means of a bolt, rivet. Welding or the like I30, to the mop guard rails adjacent their turned ends I24. The outer-most portions I28 of the brackets or uprights are disposed at a spaced relationship to one another such as exceeds the spacing between the substantially parallel mop guard rails I2I and. I22. This construction results in accommodatingthe length of roller I I4, which also exceeds the spacing between the mop guard rails. In this form of I the device, the axle ends I3I of the roller arev prevented from becoming entangled with the strands of any mop introduced into the wringer mechanism. 1

It is, of course, immaterial to the invention Whether the turned ends I29 of the brackets be secured to the inner or outer faces of the mop guard rails, although the relationship illustrated byFig. 3 is preferred since only one fastening device I36 need be employed in efiecting a rigid mounting-of a bracket to a mop guard rail.

' As is obvious, the brackets I28 maybe formed integrally with the mop guard rails, if desired, and such a structure is contemplated within the scope of the invention.

In addition to providing for free and unobstructed shifting of the moveable roller of the wringer toward andfrom the stationary squeezingelement, the means of the present invention embrace the ,further advantage that the mop guard rails may be secured in spanning relationship to the inside of the container, at an elevation substantially level with the top of the concontents-thereof, a maximumamount of space within the container.

Finally, it will be observed that the manufacture and assembly of the parts-utilized in the improved wringer structure, have been greatly simplified while at the same time rendered highly durable and effective for their intended purposes. The strands from a mop undergoing a wringing operation are, by the employment of highly simplified means, prevented from becoming entangled in any part of the operating mech- "otherwise fixed to the body of the container, and

spring I 0 will have its inner end anchored to the Otherwise stated, the improved bracket l or to some other stationary part of the structure in the region of pivot 8.

In the broader aspect of the invention, the mop wringing assembly, exclusive of the container, is an apparatus complete in itself, and accordingly may be applied to a supporter frame other than a container. For example, instead of the container providing thesupporting medium for the mop wringing assembly, a suitable support might comprise simply an open frame properly designed to accommodate the wringer assembly, and preferably elevated sufficiently to permit any desired form of receptacle to be placed beneath it for catching the liquid wrung from a mop or the like. In such a construction, the wringing assembly is not necessarily fixed to the receptacle;

or in any manner connected thereto. In reading certain of the claims, therefore, reference to a tions and changes may be made in the structural details of the device'within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A mop wringing apparatus ior-atttchmntto a pail, comprising in combination: a shiftable squeezing roller having a pressing area, and a cooperative squeezing roller likewise having-a pressing area, the rollers being of equal length l and each including axle stubs extending from opwardly of both rails.

posite ends of each roller, a pair of mop guard rails in the form ofbent metallic straps, each having a straight inter lediate portion and a pair of angular mounting ears at opposite ends thereof for attachment of the rails in spanning relationship to the pail, with said straight por tions spaced apart a lesser distance than the lengthof the roller pressing areas, each of said rails having one of its ends provided with a substantially' right angular outward bend and an adjacent rearward bend, to adapt the rails for accommodating between them the length of the second-mentioned cooperative squeezing roller, bearing means on each rail adjacent to said rearward bend for rotatably supporting the axle FRANK M. FRITSCH. LAWRENCE B. FRITSCH. 

